Dolphins Sign Michael Deiter
The Dolphins have signed third-round guard Michael Deiter, according to a team announcement. With that, the Dolphins have wrapped up their entire 2019 NFL Draft class. 
Deiter, a Wisconsin product, spent time at guard, center, and tackle during his collegiate career. A self-described “mauler,” Deiter will compete with Isaac Asiata and Chris Reed for the starting left guard job. Even if he falls flat, the versatile rookie could see a decent amount of burn as a backup.
Here’s the full rundown of the Fins’ draft class, via PFR’s tracker:
- 1-13: Christian Wilkins, DT (Clemson): Signed
- 3-78: Michael Deiter, G (Wisconsin): Signed
- 5-151: Andrew Van Ginkel, LB (Wisconsin): Signed
- 6-202: Isaiah Prince, T (Ohio State): Signed
- 7-233: Chandler Cox, FB (Auburn): Signed
- 7-234: Myles Gaskin, RB (Washington): Signed
This Date In Transactions History: Dolphins Sign Chad Johnson
In the summer of 2012, the Dolphins were less-than-enamored with their options at wide receiver. The Dolphins had just recently traded Brandon Marshall – fresh off of his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season – to the Bears for a pair of third-round picks. Then, in the draft, they did not select a wide receiver until the sixth round.
‘‘You would like to have some players make it easy and distinguish themselves, maybe make the picture a little bit clearer,’’ head coach Joe Philbin said (via The Boston Globe). ‘‘We have to catch the ball more consistently at every position on offense, because it is not quite where it needs to be.’’
After missing out on the first and second wave of free agent wide receivers, the Dolphins placed a call to Drew Rosenhaus to inquire on Chad Ochocinco (née Chad Johnson). On June 11, 2012, the Dolphins inked the eccentric veteran to a one-year deal.
Ochocinco’s career credentials were as impressive as his touchdown celebrations were inventive. To that point, he had 766 catches for 11,059 yards and 67 touchdowns, six Pro Bowl nods, and two First-Team All-Pro selections.
However, the receiver’s best days were spent with the Bengals and he looked like a shell of his former self with the Patriots in the 2011 season. In his lone campaign with New England, Johnson had just 15 catches for 276 yards and one touchdown and was targeted just 32 times in total. Johnson clearly didn’t mesh with the Patriots’ offense and he didn’t impress in his two intra-divisional games against the Dolphins either. Against Miami, he had just one catch in each of those two games.
Ochocinco – who changed his name back to Johnson shortly after signing with Miami – didn’t mesh with Philbin and the rest of the staff. The melding of personalities turned out to be the least of his issues. In August, Johnson was arrested on domestic battery charges. Johnson proclaimed his innocence, but the Dolphins released him the very next day. Thanks to “Hard Knocks,” we have video of Philbin’s final conversation with Johnson.
Johnson’s deal with the Dolphins up being his final NFL contract. Johnson went on to play for the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes in 2014 and was suspended for the 2015 season when he skipped mandatory practices. He re-emerged in 2017 to play in a single game for the Monterrey Fundidores of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional de México, where he scored on a 41-yard touchdown reception in the Fundidores’ winning effort.
Dolphins Lose Executive To Eagles
- The Raiders’ Dwayne Joseph hire forced the Eagles to reorganize their pro scouting department. Previous Joseph deputy Brandon Brown will replace Joseph as the team’s pro scouting director, Zach Berman of Philly.com tweets. The Eagles hired Max Gruder to fill Brown’s former job, assistant director of pro scouting. Gruder previously served as a Dolphins scout.
Dolphins Rookie UDFA Left Squad
- One of the Dolphins‘ 18 priority free agent signings hit the waiver wire Tuesday. The Dolphins parted ways with cornerback Tyler Horton (Boise State) via left-squad designation, veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer notes (on Twitter).
NFL Suspends WR Leonte Carroo
Free agent wide receiver Leonte Carroo has been suspended for the first four weeks of the 2019 season, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Carroo, a 2016 third-round pick, was non-tendered by Miami this offseason. 
Carroo had some hype behind him coming out of Rutgers, but never produced at the pro level. After three seasons in South Beach, Carroo has just 12 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns to his credit. More than one-third of those yards came on a 74-yard TD against the Colts last season in which he wrestled a defender to the ground and waltzed into the end zone.
The exact reason for Carroo’s ban is not yet known, but it is likely for a violation of the substance abuse policy or the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/4/19
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: WR Mose Frazier
Chicago Bears
- Waived: OL Tommy Doles
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: G Nico Siragusa
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: DL Lyndon Johnson
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: CB Tyler Horton
New York Giants
- Signed: OLB Keion Adams
- Waived/Injured: OLB Jeremiah Harris
Dolphins’ Reshad Jones Shows For Minicamp
Dolphins safety Reshad Jones is in limbo, but that didn’t stop him from showing up for work on Tuesday. The veteran reported for the start of the team’s mandatory minicamp, as Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald writes. 
“I’m really looking forward to working with him,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said. “He was excited to get into meetings and practice.”
Flores added that Jones showed up “in really good shape.” Taken at face value, that may be a sign that Jones continues to be in the team’s plans. However, a skeptic might see that as an attempt to boost the safety’s trade value. The Dolphins reportedly would prefer to move on from Jones instead of paying out his sizable contract.
Jones skipped the team’s voluntary offseason conditioning program for unknown reasons, but he has clashed with the team many times in the past. Continuing his absence through this week would have cost him nearly $90K in fines, so showing up was the sensible move.
For now, Jones stands as the team’s highest-paid player with $13MM in base salary ($11MM guaranteed) owed to him for 2019. The Dolphins, who are not in position to win in 2019, would probably prefer to swap him for future draft capital.
Dolphins Interested In Laremy Tunsil Extension
The Dolphins exercised left tackle Laremy Tunsil‘s fifth-year option in April, which keeps the 2016 first-rounder under club control through 2020. However, Miami is apparently interested in working out an extension that would run beyond 2020.
Now that Tunsil has three years of service time, he is eligible for an extension, and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes that the Fins would like to explore negotiations on a new contract. Miami, of course, is in the early stages of a full rebuild, but Tunsil is young enough that he could be a key part of the club when it returns to competitiveness.
Plus, he plays a critical position and appears to be trending upwards. Pro Football Focus viewed 2018 as Tunsil’s best season, one that ended with the site grading the Ole Miss product as the No. 36 overall tackle. He has started 44 regular-season games in his brief career, moving from left guard to left tackle full-time in 2017. After an infamous pre-draft slide, Tunsil’s career is very much on track.
However, he has yet to make a Pro Bowl, and the Dolphins may want to lock him down now before his price tag continues to grow. Titans OT tackle Taylor Lewan is at the top of the market with a $16MM AAV and $50MM in guarantees, while Dallas’ Tyron Smith currently owns the most valuable contract ($97.2MM).
Tunsil is not at that level just yet, so if he prioritizes long-term security over the biggest payday, the Dolphins may be able to extend him for something like a five-year, $65MM pact with $30-35MM in guarantees.
Brian Flores Making Strong First Impression; Dolphins To Take Wait-And-See Approach With 2020 FAs
- Brian Flores is making a strong first impression with the Dolphins, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. A number of players are less than keen on the old-school mentality and the demanding nature of the new coaching staff, but others are enjoying it, and Flores himself has drawn rave reviews. Players have lauded the rookie head coach both publicly and privately, which is a bit more meaningful for Flores than it might be for another HC. The Dolphins are in full rebuild mode, so Flores will be judged not necessarily on wins and losses — at least not for a year or two — but on how his players respond to him and compete for him.
- In the same piece linked above, Jackson notes that the Dolphins are taking a wait-and-see approach with several players entering the final years of their contracts like RB Kenyan Drake and WR Jakeem Grant.
Brian Flores Encouraged By Charles Harris' Offseason Performance
- Dolphins 2017 first-rounder Charles Harris finds himself at the top of the team’s edge rusher depth chart despite his disappointing performance over his first two years in the league. But as Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com writes, new head coach Brian Flores is encouraged by what he has seen thus far. This offseason, Harris has spent more time upright as an OLB instead of with his hand in the dirt as a traditional 4-3 DE, and that may better suit his strengths. Flores said, “I can’t say enough good things about [Harris]. … Honestly, I don’t care about his past. I care about right now. … He’s smart. He’s hard-working. He’s got a lot of ability.” If Harris does not begin to live up to his potential, he may not be in Miami in 2020.
- We wrote earlier today that the Dolphins hope to trade Reshad Jones.